Pottsville announces Colors Day CourtThe 2015 Pottsville High School Colors Day queen will be crowned before the Apaches game against Dardanelle on Friday. The Colors Day Court is (from left): junior Emily Jennings, daughter of John and Debra Jennings, senior Erica Lackey, daughter of Allen and Amy Lackey, senior Monica Lindsey, daughter of Raymond and Linda Monica, senior Allison Risner, daughter of Brad and Leah Risner and sophomore Jordan Wright, daughter or Russ Wright and St...

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Apaches defeat OzarkPOTTSVILLE — The Pottsville Apaches defeated the Ozark Hillbillies 52-39 on Friday inside George Jones Gymnasium. The Apaches led 14-6 after the first quarter and 24-18 at halftime. After the third quarter the score was 33-29. “I’m really proud of the guys because we were playing without our starting center Andrew Rushing, who turned his ankle this week,” Pottsville head coach Shane Thurman said. “When a guy like that is out, everybody has to ...

Witt wins 2014 Tri-County Defensive Player of the YearDARDANELLE — Sand Lizards head coach Josh Price has a few ideas on why Dardanelle outside linebacker Parker Witt deserves the 2014 Tri-County Defensive Player of the Year Award. One word: versatility. “We would play him at defensive end, outside linebacker and then he’d be back on the hash against some spread teams as a free safety. He did an outstanding job at all three spots,” Price said. True, Witt didn’t wrack up the enormous numbers he co...

Dardanelle falters late, loses heartbreaker to Arkansas BaptistDARDANELLE – The Dardanelle Sand Lizards let a late three-point lead slip from their grasp Friday night as they fell to Arkansas Baptist 45-42 in heartbreaking fashion. The Sand Lizards took a 42-39 lead with 1:50 left in the fourth quarter on a lay-up by Luis Depaz, but the Eagles scored the last six points of the contest to come away with a 45-42 victory. Dardanelle had a chance to tie the game on its final possession, but Jorge Carranza’s 3...

Lady Cyclones earn first conference winThe Russellville Lady Cyclones defeated the Alma Lady Airedales 47-40 on Friday inside Cyclone Gymnasium during both teams' 7A/6A-Central Conference opener. Addy Hipps knocked down seven points in the first quarter to help the Lady Cyclones (5-9, 1-0 7A/6A-Central Conference) wrestle a 19-9 lead from the Lady Airedales. Russellville led by as many as 13 points, but saw its lead dwindle in the second quarter. Alma outscored the Lady Cyclones 16...

Cyclones come up short against AlmaOne point. The Russellville Cyclones had 5.1 seconds to score one point during their 55-54 loss to the Alma Airedales inside Cyclone Gymnasium. Alma gained the advantage from the free-throw line moments earlier and had forced the game into overtime by the end of the fourth quarter. The Cyclones got the ball to Carlos Stiger just inside the 3-point line, but Stiger's shot was off the mark and Russellville opened 7A/6A-Central Conference action ...

Lady Eagles down DardanelleDARDANELLE – The Dardanelle Lady Sand Lizards surprised the Arkansas Baptist Lady Eagles for 16 minutes Friday, but the Eagles regained composure and defeated Dardanelle 44-19. After holding Arkansas Baptist scoreless in the first quarter, Dardanelle took a 15-12 lead to the half. However, the Lady Eagles used a 23-2 third-quarter run to take control of the contest. Shelbi Tharp broke the ice for the Lady Sand Lizards with a 3-pointer with 7:0...

RHS wrestling wins twoThe Russellville Cyclones wrestling team picked two wins on Thursday inside Cyclone Gymnasium during their first home meet of the season. The Cyclones defeated Benton 46-26 before defeating North Little Rock by a score of 54-27. Russellville will be in action next on Jan. 22 against Van Buren and Little Rock Christian.

RHS to host 'Night of Champions'Russellville High School will be hosting the ninth annual “Night of Champions” on Friday as the Cyclones and Lady Cyclones basketball teams take on the Siloam Springs Panthers in a 7A/6A-Central Conference match-up. Classmates, family members and friends are invited to attend as the 1985 state championship basketball team members, coaches and cheerleaders will be recognized. A reception will be held at 6:30 p.m. in the RHS Commons area.

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Dawson greets Cyclone nationBilly Dawson wants a “culture change” at Russellville High School, and he wants it from the ground up. It’s about more than just football, Dawson told the audience gathered inside Russellville High School’s cafeteria to meet and greet the Cyclones new head football coach. “It’s about the community,” he said. “It’s about the band, the cheerleaders and the non-athletes all buying into the program.” Dawson said it would be his biggest challenge a...

Russellville soccer teams kick off practice Tuesday was the first official spring practice for the 2015 RHS soccer season. The coaches said they were extremely happy with the beautiful day that they were given to kick off their seasons. “I was worried our first day of practice would be freezing, but this is a great day to be out here with the girls,” Lady Cyclones coach Kelly Young said. “The rest of the week is proving to be a bit more in line with Arkansas weather, but the girls and b...

Willcutt leads Pirates over OzarkDOVER — A late third-quarter surge put the Dover Pirates ahead for good Tuesday as the Pirates knocked off Ozark 66-53 in 4A-4 conference action. The Hillbillies had trimmed an eight-point Pirate lead to one with a basket with 2:10 left in the third quarter, but an 11-0 run by the Pirates gave Dover a 47-35 lead early in the fourth quarter. Dover (13-1, 2-1 4A-4) came out firing in the first few minutes of the contest as the Pirates snatched a...

Lady Pirates fall to OzarkDOVER — The Dover Lady Pirates hung with the Ozark Lady Hillbillies for more than a quarter Tuesday night, but it was not enough as the Lady Pirates fell 66-40. Dover took a 17-16 lead on two free throws by Kelsi Hottinger with 5:27 left in the second quarter, but Ozark used a 19-0 run in the waning minutes of the half to seize control with a 35-17 halftime lead. After the Lady Pirates fell behind 6-2 in the opening minutes of the contest, a t...

Cyclones fall 56-52 to HarrisonThe Russellville Cyclones gave up a 14-point lead during their 56-52 loss to the Harrison Goblins on Tuesday inside Cyclone Gymnasium. A steal-turned-break-away layup by Harrison's Silas Husky with 2:01 left in the game was the tipping point. Husky's shot widened the Goblins' lead to 51-46. The Cyclones never recovered. It looked to be a much different game after the first quarter — Harrison drew first blood from the free-throw line, but the C...

Lady Cyclones fall at homeThe Russellville Lady Cyclones kept it close, but not close enough during Tuesday's final nonconference test against the Springdale Har-Ber Wildcats. When the Lady Cyclones (4-9) put the Wildcats on the line with 23 seconds left, they needed sloppy shooting. Instead, Springdale Har-Ber hit both shots and kept its lead at two possessions. Russellville's Alyssa Owens hit a jumper with 13 seconds left to pull within 57-55, but the Wildcats hit an...

Lady Rebs drop twoCOAL HILL — The Johnson County Westside Lady Rebels defeated the Western Yell County Lady Wolverines 71-33 on Dec. 29 inside Rebel Gymnasium. The Lady Rebs took a commanding 28-7 lead after the first quarter and widened their advantage to 43-14 by halftime. Leading scorers for JC Westside were McKenna Mainard with 14, Breanne Morrow with 10 and Brooke Stain with nine. Wonderview SG 71, JC Westside 61 COAL HILL — The Johnson County Westside Lad...

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Dardanelle Junior High Classic resultsDARDANELLE — The Dardanelle Junior High Classic began on Monday in Dardanelle with participation from several local teams. Day one results Hector JG 27, JC Westside 24 The Johnson County Westside Junior Lady rebels led the Hector Junior Lady Wildcats 5-3 after the first quarter, but were outscored 7-4 in the second and trailed 10-9. Westside fought back to take a 22-18 lead after the third, but only scored two points in the fourth during the l...

Hocker signs with Miami DolphinsIt’s official. Former Russellville Cyclones and Arkansas Razorback kicker Zach Hocker will be kicking for the Miami Dolphins next season, according to a tweet published at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday. Hocker wrote: “New team, same dream. Happy to say I’m officially a Miami Dolphin. I am truly grateful for this opportunity.” Hocker will have to win the starting role over Miami’s current placekicker Caleb Sturgis during the offseason and preseason. St...

Apaches' team effort downs LamarLAMAR — The Pottsville Apaches had their fill of the Lamar Warriors on Saturday and escaped with a 56-53 victory inside Warrior Gymnasium. Pottsville (8-6) trailed 11-6 after the first quarter, but established a 28-17 lead at halftime. The Apaches led 46-38 after the third quarter. “This is a good team with a lot of guys contributing on offense on defense and on the glass,” Pottsville head coach Shane Thurman said. “We played well for the firs...

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Sand Lizards win Yell County InviteDARDANELLE — The Sand Lizards outgunned the Danville Little Johns 60-39 for the Yell County Invitational Tournament title on Saturday inside Sand Lizard Gymnasium. “I was very proud of our guys winning the Yell County Invitational. This was one of our better games of the year. We shot the ball well and really defended well,” Dardanelle head coach Russell Sturdivant said. “This is always a huge game because of the Yell County rivalry. We finish...

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Courier staff reportsThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley